The Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) over the weekend lauded the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for spearheading the coronavirus vaccination drive for student-athletes.
“We thank CHED for listening to our call to include student-athletes in the list of priority groups for inoculation against COVID-19. We also congratulate them for the successful launch of their “Padyak para sa Flexible Learning: Sama-samang Vaccination Program, student-athlete edition,” PBA Party-list spokesperson Atty. Migs Nograles said.
CHED said it will begin vaccinating athletes of the National Collegiate Athletic Assocation (NCAA) next week.
Some 300 student-athletes from the different member-universities of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in Metro Manila received their first dose of the Moderna vaccine against the coronavirus disease on Wednesday. CHED said it will begin vaccinating athletes of the National Collegiate Athletic Assocation (NCAA) next week.
Nograles praised CHED Commissioner Prospero de Vera for emphasizing the need to get all student-athletes vaccinated against the COVID-19 first before they are allowed to resume training and participate in the actual games.
“We are one with CHED and the member-universities of the UAAP and NCAA in working to have collegiate games resumed next year. The PBA Party-list is ready to become a partner in making this goal a reality,” Nograles said.
The PBA Party-list earlier urged the government to include student athletes in the of priority groups for vaccination against COVID-19.
UAAP Season 84 president Emmanuel Calanog has said they are planning to open the UAAP’s basketball competition by mid-February 2022, while volleyball games are slated after Holy Week. Calanog says all their basketball and volleyball student athletes have been fully vaccinated.
The PBA Party-list earlier urged the government to include student athletes in the of priority groups for vaccination against COVID-19.
“Even without competition, these athletes need to continuously train to maintain their level of physical fitness, and the only way to ensure they could do so safely would be to inoculate them against the coronavirus,” Nograles had said.
The Davaoeña lawyer is now urging schools to actively coordinate with their respective local government units (LGUs) to ensure that the vaccination of their students, particularly the athletes, are fast tracked.
